Labour conference welcomes Allan Gregg

Well-known Tory pollster criticizes anti-labour Harper government

Edmonton – The defence of reason makes strange bedfellows.

Well-known Canadian pundit and Tory pollster Allan Gregg will speak at the Alberta Federation of Labour’s 48th constitutional convention, delivering a talk titled “1984 in 2013: the Assault on Reason.” The talk, in which Gregg which takes aim at the anti-intellectual policies of the federal government, will take place in Salons 8-11 in the Shaw Conference Centre.

“I have spent my entire professional life as a researcher, dedicated to understanding the relationship between cause and effect. And I have to tell you, I’ve begun to see some troubling trends,” Gregg said. “It seems as though our government’s use of evidence and facts as the bases of policy is declining, and in their place, dogma, whim and political expediency are on the rise.”

The talk is the keynote speech of the AFL’s convention, and will be delivered to a packed convention hall of more than 500 union delegates. At the convention, attendees have debated how best to pace oil sands development, how to protect Alberta’s health care system, and how to fund public services.

“All of these topics depend on rational debate, factual information, and functioning democracy. That’s why the topic Allan Gregg is speaking about is so important,” AFL president Gil McGowan said. “We’re big fans of democracy around here. Allan is a great ally in the defence of democracy.”